Wrestling fans from far and wide came to iPlay America Saturday, August 2, to meet their all-time hero…Hulk Hogan! These Platinum and VIP guests participated in the scheduled meet and greet, received a signed poster, and had their picture taken with the Hulkster! For some fans, this was a dream come true and I asked one serious Hulkamaniac to share his story. Shane Peacher has been a Hulk Hogan fan for 27 years. The 33-year-old die-hard Hulkamaniac came all the way from Dale City, VA, to meet his hero at iPlay America and he said that the experience was really a dream come true for him. He even has an incredible tattoo of Hulk Hogan on his calf! When I chatted with Shane before the show he told me, “I cannot wait for the Hulkster to see [the tattoo]!”
Naturally I commended him for his dedication and asked him where and when he got the tattoo done. “I actually got the tattoo about a month and a half ago,” he said. “But it was something that was building since I was 18 years old.” He had always wanted to honor his hero with a color portrait tattoo, but it was a challenge to find the perfect artist. Shane searched for years, and finally found the right artist in Justin Holcombe, owner of InkAholics in North East, MD. “I immediately sent him a message and it turned out the artist was just as excited as I was because he was a Hulkamaniac as a kid.” And what an experience it was. Shane explained, “Justin worked on it for seven hours! He only took two five-minute breaks.” Shane could not wait to show his hero the tribute he had made towards him so he put a picture of his tattoo up on Twitter and the next day the Hulk retweeted the picture. I asked Shane how Hulk Hogan reacted when he saw the tattoo in person. “He looked BLOWN AWAY and said to me, ‘Wow, that’s strong – brother. That’s amazing work.’”
During the meet and greet with the wrestling champ, each fan got to ask a question. Shane had more of a comment than a question. Actually, a few comments! “I told him, ‘I’ve been a fan for 25-plus years and you have always been a hero to me,’” Shane said. “Then I let him know I was in Toronto for Wrestlemania X8 and saw his match against The Rock. I told him that I’ve been to playoff games for the NFL, MLB, NBA, and a final match during March Madness and the electricity in the Skydome that night blows all of those out of the water. I let him know that people actually left after that match, even though there were matches following.” The Hulkster thanked Shane for being such a loyal Hulkamaniac. Later on during the Q & A, Hulk Hogan addressed Wrestlemania X8 again with his fans and explained that besides wrestling Andre the Giant, his match against The Rock at Wrestlemania X8 was his favorite moment of his career. “They built him as the heel—the Bad Guy—in that match,” Shane explained. “But when he stepped through that curtain the crowd cheered for Hulk Hogan and actually Boo’ed The Rock.” Hulk Hogan explained to his fans that they, mid-match, had to change up the roles and he had to work the match as the babyface, which is the good guy, and The Rock became the heel. “Hulk Hogan said that really hit him and showed him that his fans will never forget him and still love him,” Shane said. “And to me that was special because I was there.” At the end of our conversation I asked Shane why it was so important to him that he meet Hulk Hogan. “That answer is simple,” he replied. ”He’s always been what’s right about life. He is the greatest wrestler of all time, bar none. Best face and best heel of all time. His longevity on top is something we will never see again. He’s a living superhero and my hero and it has always been that way. He really is immortal. They say NWO is 4-life but in reality it’s Hulkamania 4-life.”
Shane Peacher with his lifelong hero. Thank you, Hulk Hogan, for coming to iPlay America and spending time with your fans. This is surely an experience they will not soon forget.
by Meg Weber